ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks prioritizes sustainability, contributes to lower-carbon future
05.14.2019
Every facility, department, work team and business unit within our company is accountable to ArcelorMittal’s vision of a low-carbon, sustainable future. That is to say, everyone must do their part, and the challenge to reduce steelmaking’s carbon impact is both very big and very important.
Across the company, this work runs along a continuum that is as wide and diverse as it is deep and impactful. Efforts range from individual actions to be more efficient in our manufacturing processes to large-scale investments in transformative technologies that will recycle carbon emissions into useful new products. Complementing the work we’re doing within our operations, the very steel we produce is also being used in sustainable applications: renewable energy systems and fuel-efficient vehicles, for example.
One business unit - ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks, a subsidiary of ArcelorMittal – has embraced the sustainability challenge and is making unique and important contributions toward a lower-carbon future.
“Global sustainability starts with leadership, and ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks has made it an organizational priority. Our entire business is centered on providing sustainable business choices to our customers,” Todd Baker, president of ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks, has said.
Specifically, ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks combines innovative new grades of advanced high strength steel with revolutionary laser-welding technology to help automakers reduce the weight and improve the fuel economy of their vehicles.
The result is a unique, lightweight “door ring” application, a critical part of a car’s safety cage contained within the door structure, that absorbs the energy of a crash and protects the driver and passengers in an accident.
“Through collaborative product design with the auto industry, we have found ways to design door rings that utilize multiple gauges of steel, adding strength and safety where needed, while allowing for fewer parts and a reduction in the mass of the vehicle,” explained Travis Connelly, director of business development for ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks.
A lighter-weight vehicle burns less fuel and thereby has fewer emissions.
“What’s really exciting is that by aligning ArcelorMittal’s leadership and strength in sustainability with our customers’ goals, we have been able to look at the lifecycle of the product and show how it directly reduces CO2 emissions compared to traditional applications of steel or other materials.”
“To make the point directly, ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks is helping automakers minimize carbon emissions across the entire lifespan of a vehicle.”
2019 Dodge Ram Truck door ring on display
Three recent examples containing ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks’ innovative door ring are the 2016 Chrysler Pacifica, 2019 new Dodge Ram Truck and 2019 Honda RDX.
“These three examples alone equate to a lifecycle reduction of an estimated 321 million Kg of CO2,” Connelly said. “To put it in perspective, that is enough to offset the carbon footprint of the electricity required to power 48,000 households for a year.”
ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks has also extended its focus beyond its technology and products and has developed a sustainability plan aimed at contributing to all 10 of ArcelorMittal’s sustainable development outcomes. The plan includes efforts to improve safety, increase recycling and reduce waste, engage community partners in shared goals, and support employees and their quality of life.
“ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks is integrating sustainability into everything we do at our facilities across North America. We are committed to protecting the environment for future generations, minimizing our footprint, supporting our employees, collaborating with our customers, and giving back to our local communities,” said Connelly.
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